Softball Today • April/May 2012
By Jim McCurdy
10
When DePaul ventured off to the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., Feb. 24-26, the Blue Demons weren’t the favorite. Not with the likes of ranked Tennessee, Michigan, Louisiana at Lafayette and Georgia Tech in the field. But what the Blue Demons accomplished is nothing short of barking over. Especially considering in a field full of offensive-minded teams, the Blue Demons pitching was downright unforgiving. DePaul went 5-0, winning the tournament title after beating Hofstra, 3-0, on the final day at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The Blue Demons also shut out Massachusetts, 8-0, in a five-inning run-rule game to open the tournament. They knocked off No. 20 Georgia Tech, 4-2, later that first day. The Blue Demons blanked Winthrop, 10-0, in five innings, and got past Mississippi State, 3-2. Bear in mind, No. 12 Michigan lost to No. 17 LouisianaLafayette, 10-7. The Wolverines also were shut out, 1-0, by UMass. No. 10 Tennessee fell to Winthrop, 2-1. Georgia Tech was blitzed, 9-0, by the Volunteers. UMass also shut out the Yellow Jackets, 1-0. Mississippi State also beat Georgia Tech, 5-3. Yeah, that’s a lot of who-beat-who to keep up with, but the bottom line is the so-called best teams were losing games, and the unheralded found ways to win. Louisiana-Lafayette also went unbeaten in the three-day tournament, but DePaul was crowned champion on a tiebreaker. The Blue Demons used a two-run double from Kirsten Verdun in the first inning of its final win over Hofstra. Ali Warren’s sixth-inning base hit drove in the third run for DePaul. Pitcher Hannah Penna allowed four hits, walked two and struck out four in the shutout. Louisiana-Lafayette beat Winthrop, 6-1, in its final game. Paige Cormier went 2 for 2 with an RBI. Reliever Ashley Brignac won her third game of the tournament, tossing the final four innings and allowing three hits and no runs. She struck out 20 batters in four appearances at the Leadoff Classic. DePaul pounded 51 hits in the five games. Assistant coach Samantha Findlay, a marked hitter at Michigan, no doubt was